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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Climate change hits home

Posted
on Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 3:19 PM

I strongly urge both Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester to support the
Kerry-Boxer climate bill with the current provision to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2005 emission levels by
2020. Climate change is a well-researched phenomenon with the support
of America's and the world's scientific community. It is a mistake for
Americans to turn our backs on our scientists at a time when a
discovery such as global climate change is already impacting America
and Montana.

The most salient examples of global climate change in Montana are
the melting glaciers in Glacier National Park and reductions in annual
snow pack and stream flow throughout the state. At least 10 million
tourists visited Montana in 2008 and spent approximately $2.8 billion
dollars supporting about 48,000 or 10 percent of the jobs in Montana.
Many of these visitors come to Montana to enjoy activities such as
skiing, fishing and sight-seeing, all of which will be severely
hindered by a loss of glaciers, snow pack and stream flow.

Who will want to visit Glacier National Park when it has no
glaciers? Who will ski on bare mountains? Who will fish in dry
streams?

Losing Montana's natural beauty will destroy a huge part of
Montana's tourism industry and cause the Treasure State to hemorrhage
jobs. Supporting strong science-based climate legislation like the
Kerry-Boxer climate bill will preserve our tourism jobs and keep
Montana a beautiful place for generations.